Incomplete
by Angel Weasel-Woman
Summary: We will begin by deviding you into threeman teams... monitered by a Jounin... so that each team's abilities would be approximately equal. But what if your team is incomplete with only two gennin led by one chuunin?
1. Girls

The two young children watched the empty grounds, illuminated by silvery moonlight. Their eyes glowed and the younger turned to the other, a cat-like grin adorning her lips.

"Tomorrow," it was decided. "We do it tomorrow."

* * *

Iruka hid a yawn behind his role-card, though he was certain some of the little brats had seen, if any of the snickers were anything to go by. H knew that his morning had been shot to hell the moment he had woken up at four in the morning, choking on Moony-Chan's stomach. Apparently, he had decided that Iruka's face was a better pillow than the bed. Then, after disinfecting cat scratches left behind by a pissy kitty that wanted to stay _on_ his face, he had been unable to fall back to sleep. 

He had been zapped of all pleasant, fuzzy, sleepyness by his shower, which reminded him that paying the heat bills was a good thing. His coffee maker had broken the day before and wouldn't be fixed until Monday, so he had five days of no ever-so-addicting caffeine to guzzle down in the morning.

There had been one point of light in his dark morning, thought, when his doorbell had rang. Still drippy-wet from the shower and bitch about his lack of eight cups of coffee, he had pulled open the door only to remember too late that he wasn't wearing a towel.

* * *

"Hello, sir, I… uh…" the man, dressed all in white, looked away to his fiercely blushing wife. "If this is a bad time –" 

"No, not at all." Iruka fought back the urge to grin. If he was going to suffer this morning, he was damn well going to drag others down with him. "Would you like to join me?"

The woman squeaked and hid behind the box of bright orange bibles in her hands.

"No thank you," the man said quickly. Attempting to recompose himself as Iruka shifted just so, he stumbled out, "H-How do you feel about you current religion?"

"Oh, it's great." Iruka stretched his arms above his head and stood on his toes. The woman looked like she was about to pass out. "Satan's always on call. He's very reliable, you know. Very quick with results."

"Y-You must reject Satan!" the man cried, looking completely scandalized. "His dark ways and broken promises are a sure path to Hell!"

"Hell actually sounds very nice," Iruka defended, internally snickering. "All warm and full of people. Heaven's what I'm avoiding. Wet clouds everywhere, no time passing, eternal boredom. Nope. I'm very content with Hell."

The man gaped and the woman shook. Those books reminded him of something. Especially their color.

"I will take one of those books, though."

The man stared at him like he had burst into flames. Grabbing a Bible from the top of the box, he threw it at Iruka and dragged his wife as far away as possible.

Waving cheerily to his stunned, elderly neighbor, staring at him while over-watering her roses, Iruka turned into his house, setting the bible on his coffee table, and went to go get dressed.

Naruto would like that book, if only for the color.

_

* * *

_

"All right," (you little brats) "everyone line up against the wall – shuriken practice begins today. We'll be going outside where I will explain to you safety procedures."

The children cheered and leapt from their seats, crowding around the door. Iruka internally groaned, not feeling like dealing with screaming seven-year-olds but having no other choice. As he ushered the noisy children into the schools back training area, he began to explain exactly how to hold shuriken correctly to minimize self-injury and how to throw them to maximize injury to others.

Vaguely, he hoped that the children couldn't hear him over their own talking and injured themselves so that he didn't have to come into tomorrow, but it was just wistful thinking. More probably was the idea that all children would be expert marksmen so that they could move onto even sharper and pointier objects.

The children cheered and rushed out the doors as they approached and Iruka lost all track of them. I don't wanna call role again, his brain whines. I know! I'll just stop caring! That's always fun.

The brats were crowded behind the white safety line (damn! They listened), eagerly awaiting the dull practice shuriken. Iruka approached, picking up the box hidden by genjutsu and began handing out the tools, mentally going over each of the children's names despite his earlier plan to give up.

Tenten, Yakimaru, Yigi, Neji, Akaji, Shitoma, Ruki, Rock Lee, Jinicha, random girl number one – wait.

Iruka looked down at the little girl, taking in the sight of her long black hair, brown eyes, and, oddly enough, red cat ears and a red weasel tail.

"Who are you?" he asked, hearing the other children growing impatient and beginning to chuck their shuriken.

"Angel." She tried to take the tool from Iruka's hand but he held it just out of her reach.

"Why are you here?"

"Wanna throw stuff." She bounced and he held the shuriken higher. "Gimme!"

"Fine." He dropped the object and she caught it, squealing happily. He looked at the next girl, auburn hair pulled back into a brain, green eyes, and dull brown dog-ears and tail. "Who are you?"

The girl pointed to herself and then to the box.

"You're not getting a shuriken until you tell me your name."

The girl stamped her foot.

"She's Murray," Angel piped up, clutching her shuriken to her chest.

Iruka looked at the weasel girl for a moment. "Good enough." He handed Murray a shuriken.

* * *

A month later, Iruka was at his desk after school, grading papers and eager to go home when there came a knock at the door. 

"Come in," he called, marking a big F on the paper whose questions had been answered in suggestive drawing. _Correct_, suggestive drawings.

A tall man entered, black hair falling into emerald eyes, a sliver of a glowing gem on a chain about his neck.

"Ah, hello Yamino-san," Iruka greeted.

"Umino-san," the man replied stiffly before relaxing into a grin. "Must we really keep up useless formalities, Iruka-kun? Our clans have been friends for generations, since Hoshigakure."

"Too true, Yuugi-kun." Iruka leaned back in his chair. "What is it you've come for? Certainly not to reminice?"

"No, no. I'm here to talk to you about my daughter."

Iruka blinked. "Who?"

"Angel. Her cousin told me that he saw her on the training grounds one day."

"Angel…" Iruka thought for a moment. "Oh right – the weasel girl. I should have realized she was yours with the ears and such."

"Has she been causing trouble around here?"

"Oh no, not much." (Less than Naruto does daily.) "She's rather nice in class."

"Ah, that's good to hear. I will leave you now."

Iruka nodded, but called out in sudden remembrance. "What about your other daughter? Murray?"

"Murray?" Yuugi gave Iruka a confused look. "Angel is an only child."

* * *

Ha! Take that! 

Nine: Who are you talking to?

Angel: My brain. I haven't wanted to concentrate on anything all day today. Work is slowly killing my attention span and my feet. And my hands.

Itachi: Stop whining.

Angel: No. Anyway, since I don't feel like doing stuff anymore, Naruto can say the disclaimer.

Naruto: Bleh. Angel doesn't own Naruto, Hoshigakure, Murray or Moony-Chan. The last three belong to Bomb-O-Maniac.

Angel: Excellent, so, till next time.


	2. Graduation

Angel looked at the ticking hands of the clock, writhing eagerly in her seat. She nibbled the pencil she'd absently placed in her mouth a while ago and tapped her fingers on the desk. Her tail swished back and forth behind her, causing the other bored children to focus in on it for lack of anything better to do. At the front of the room, Iruka continued with his lecture on Summon Creatures.

There was a light tug on one of her ears and she looked over and up to see Murray hunched over her desk, reaching for her.

"I dunno," Angel whines, lazing back in her seat and kicking it back on two legs. "If sensei'd ever stop talking, I could figure it out-"

"Angel!" The weasel yelped and crashed to the floor, causing the whole class to laugh. Iruka sighed as she flailed wildly in an attempt to get back up. "Would you like to see yet another day go by as you sit in detention?"

"No," Angel whined, clambering up just enough to peer over the desk.

"Well, too bad, because --"

BRRRRINNNNG

Angel vaulted over the desk and was halfway out the door before the bell finished ringing. "If I don't hear it, it's not illegal," she yelped as she fled the room. Iruka attempted to call after her, but gave up when he discovered that she was long gone.

* * *

Angel watched the people pass under her from her perch on the lower branch of a large oak tree in the front of the Academy. Her legs were hooked over the branch, allowing her to hang upside-down. She patted her shirt, but decided that, since no one was looking up, it was ok for her bra to be exposed. For a moment, she considered just dropping on the next person that walked by. That plan failed when a sudden, second weight appeared on the branch next to her, offsetting her balance and nearly throwing her to the ground.

"What's that for!" Angel shrieked as she struggled to sit back up. "I should-- Oh, it's you, Murray."

The dog-girl waved and Angel grinned at her. "How pissed id sensei?"

Murray stuck her tongue out, and Angel laughed.

"Yeah, he probably does want to kill me. Let's go get some food - I'm hungry."

Murray dropped from the branch so suddenly, Angel didn't have time to keep her balance and fell off, crashing at Murray's feet. "Ah, damnit!"

Murray yanked her to her feet and Angel continued to cuss. Dusting herself off, Angel pointed and cried, "Onward! To food!"

The two girls took off, bolting from the Academy grounds and running into, literally in Angel's case, Lee and Neji.

Murray waved continuously and quickly as Angel picked herself up again. She glomped Lee (whom she'd known and stuck up for since she'd first joined the class) and grinned at Neji (the son of her father's friend). "Hey Lee-kun; hey Neji-chan."

Angel yelped as the Hyuuga punched her in the side of the head.

"I never gave you permission to call me that," Neji growled.

"Kyaa..." Angel whined. "You're so abusive, Hyuuga-san..."

"Neji-san," Lee cried, shaking a fist. "How dare you make my fiancée cry!"

"Since when am I your fiancée?" Angel asked as she began to chew on Lee's braid.

"Since I decided just now."

"Cool."

Murray and Neji sighed. The Hyuuga cast the weasel a sidelong look. "I thought your cousin was your fiancée?"

"I have a harem."

Neji gave a disgusted groan. "What do you want?"

"Food." She released Lee's braid and told them. "We were thinking about some sushi. Want to join us?"

Lee grinned and gave a mock-salute. "Ossu! Let us go, Neji-san!"

Neji ducked out of Murray's reach as she attempted to grab him. "I need to go back to the House."

"Meanie!" Angel cried after him as he left."

"!" Murray agreed.

"Well then come along, Angel," Lee said, ignoring his rival. "Let's go eat ourselves."

"Ok!" Angel clambered up onto Lee's back. "Onward!"

* * *

It was a rare moment in the Nara household. It was completely still and completely quiet. Shikamaru lie on the couch, throw pillow over his face, breath evening out as sleep caressed his eyes. He was content...

"Oh, Shika-kun! Where are you lover?"

Oh, god, why?

Shikamaru groaned and lifted the pillow just enough to glare at his cousin who was hovering over him, grinning manically.

"What do you want, Angel?"

The weasel's tail wagged and her grin widened. "Guess what's going on next week..."

"No." Shikamaru put the pillow back on his face.

"Our class is graduating!" Angel cheered, ignoring Shikamaru.

"Go to hell," Shikamaru whined.

"Now remember, lover, you have to get me something." Angel waggled her finger as Shikamaru writhed and nearly fell in the floor. "If you don't get me something and we get married, I'll never let you forget it."

"Damnit, I'll buy you something if you go away!"

"Woohoo!" Angel ran upstairs as she cheered, "I'm gonna go plan my graduation outfit - you think of something to get me!"

Shikamaru groaned and pressed the pillow closer to his face, wondering if he could suffocate to death and get out of buying Angel anything.

* * *

Iruka stood in front of the class, trying to calm the eager students. When the din of excited chatter failed to cease, the teacher sighed. He didn't want to have to do this again...

Iruka leapt on top of his desk and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Silence!"

He could almost heat crickets chirp as the entire class stared at him with the usual deer-in-the-headlights look. He rubbed his aching throat and grinned. "Now, class, your final exam will be over the transformation jutsu. You will be called individually into the next room where we will give you your objective. The grading will be harsh, so practice while you're waiting." He looked at the list in his hand. "Anito, Ruki. Come to room ten-fifty-one in five minutes."

"Yessir!"

Iruka nodded to her and left. Immediately, the class broke into another rumble of chatter. Angel twisted around in her seat and grinned at Murray, holding up her fingers in a V-for-Victory sign. "Transformations are my specialty!"

Angel frowned. "You're right. I didn't think of that. Damn." She glared around the room conspiratorially. Finally sticking out her tongue in disgust, she leapt from her seat and bounced over the desks (ignoring the other students' yelling) and perched in front of Lee, yelping when Murray slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

"What's up, Lee?" she asked, rubbing her sore butt and glaring at Murray as she grinned.

The eccentric boy sighed. "I'm no good at jutsu. I'm going to fail for sure..."

"Aw, don't be sad, lover," Angel crooned as Murray poked Lee in sympathy. "Iruka-sensei can be cool - I'm sure he has something else for you."

Lee just rested his head on his desk as Ruki finally stood and left the room to take her test.

* * *

It was nearly an hour later when all the students left were Angel, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Murray. Iruka poked his head into the room, "Yamino, Angel. Your turn."

Angel snored from her napping spot under Lee's desk. Murray, sitting on top of the desk behind her, picked up a stray binder, left behind by an over-eager student, and chucked it at the weasel, smacking her in the had.

"Aw shit!" she yelped, sitting up quickly and nearly cracking her skull open when she hit the desk.

"Goddamnit, Angel," Iruka sighed. "Get your ass into the testing room before I fail you on account of being a moron."

"I think I'm bleeding into my brain," Angel whined, clutching her head and stumbling to the door.

"Good," Iruka mumbled. "Now that you finally have blood in there, maybe you'll smarten up."

Angel stuck her tongue out as she was led into the testing room across the hall; instructor Mizuki smiled at her. "Good day, Angel. Your task is to transform into..." He checked his notes. "Iruka-sensei. Go on."

"Does it have to be the henge no jutsu?" Angel asked, flicking her ears irritably at the strong stench coating Mizuki.

"All you have to do is transform," Iruka reminded her, beginning to head to his spot next to the blue-haired instructor.

"Ok," Angel chirped. Without warning, she snatched Iruka's arm and bit into it, tearing away a layer of flesh and filling her mouth with his blood.

"Damnit!" Iruka cried, yanking his arm free and kicking Angel across the room and into the closet. He cursed again and clutched his bleeding arm as he glared at the shadows in which Angel was concealed.

Angel grunted as she tossed the junk that had fallen on her to the side. Her mouth was full of Iruka's blood and she felt her teacher's DNA being absorbed through her tongue. Swallowing the coppery liquid, she felt the shadows surrounding her react with the new genes in her system. Silently and painfully, her own DNA was torn and recoded, her flesh, bones, and organs shifting with the most disgusting feelings.

She shakily climbed to her feet and reentered the main room - body now a complete copy of Iruka's. "Damnit, I hate falling!"

Iruka just grumbled as he bandaged his arm, and Mizuki sighed, saying, "You would almost be passing with flying colors if you remembered the scar."

Angel blinked and crossed her eyes to glare at her nose. She forgot that DNA didn't transfer wounds and scars. "But I'm still passing, right?"

"Just barely. And--"

"Woohoo!" Angel bounced back into the shadows, painfully reminding her DNA of her true for and bounded out of the room, ignoring whatever else Mizuki was trying to tell her.

She was already in the hallway when Iruka threw something at her, smacking her in the back of the head. She whimpered and whined, glaring at Iruka. "What the hell was that for?"

"Take your hitai-ate and come back tomorrow at 0700. All graduates are required to attend."

Angel snorted at him, stooping to pick up her forehead protector before she forgot it. She stuck out her tongue at him as he reentered the classroom and called for Murray.

* * *

Angel waited in the tree, hanging upside down by her knees and watching the front gates intently. It was almost half an hour before Murray and Rock Lee exited, and Angel allowed herself to fall (landing on her feet this time) so that she could run up to them as she straightened her shirt.

"Did you two pass?" Angel chirped, waggling her tail in curiosity.

Murray put her hands together and, without even moving her lips, transformed into a perfect imitation of the second hogake. Regaining her true form with a puff of smoke, she took her hitai-ate from her back pocket.

"Cool. What about you, Lee? Did you have to transform?"

Lee grinned. "Nope! Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei let me show off some of my taijutsu. I ever got a special hitai-ate for it!" He pulled out his forehead protector, the metal plate stitched onto red fabric instead of blue. "This shows that I'm a taijutsu specialist!" he continued cheerfully. "I never knew there were so many types of hitai-ate bands! It's so cool!"

"They told you about the band colors?" Angel asked as Lee grabbed her to dance in glee. "That is so unfair - I wanna know too!"

"Well, that's too bad," Lee laughed, dragging Murray into their dance. "You'll just have to wait until you're older to find out."

"You suck, Lee," Angel whined as she and Murray were dragged off to celebrate their graduation.

* * *

Angel yawned as she headed inside her aunt's house at two in the morning. She wasn't sure how she, along with Murray and Lee, had been to distracted, but she did know that her aunt would kill her if she was out any later than sunrise.

She tugged on her ear to keep herself away long enough to get inside the house and sneak into her room, collapsing on top of the covers and passing out into blissful oblivion.

* * *

Her snoring was cut off by a pillow smothering her face. She gave a muffled cry and flailed wildly, trying to smack whoever was trying to kill her.

"Get up, Angel," Shikamaru said, finally removing the pillow.

"Damnit..." the weasel whined, still writhing. "Stop trying to kill me."

"Get up," Shikamaru repeated. "It's your graduation meeting."

Angel paused. "When was I supposed to be there?"

Shikamaru glanced at the digital clock next to his cousin's head. "Ten minutes ago."

"Mother of shit!" Shikamaru suddenly found himself on his face outside of Angel's room as she frantically dressed.

A fishnet bodys suit held in place by black leather buckles at the throat, wrists and ankles; a too-small sailor shirt with a blue scarf that showed off and ungodly amount of stomach (in her uncle's words); a pair of her grandmother's old priestess pants she had found in the attic, dyed a light blue and held up with her hitai-ate. She quickly pulled her hair into a bun, leaving her bangs to fall in her face and secured it with a pair of chopsticks, her grandmother's banishing charms engraved up and down the light-brown wood.

"Angel, wait!" Shikamaru called as she bolted from her room and stuffed her feet into her zori the had been resting by the door and grabbed a roll of bandaged to wrap around her thigh.

"What is it, lover?" Her tone was strained and she grunted as, once again, something hit her in the head. "Sonofamotherf-- wha?"

"Happy graduation," Shikamaru said as he walked away, heading to his room to sleep.

Angel looked at the small, reverse-pentagram pendant in her hands, the moonstone it was made from a beautiful pure white. With the little hook fixed into the top of it, it would fit perfectly on the collar about her throat. She carefully attached it, smiling and silently thanking her cousin. Until she remembered what time it was.

Then she was cursing again.

* * *

I only own Angel. Everything else belongs to other people, including Murray who belongs to Bomb-O-Maniac. So, till next time. 


	3. Team 13

Iruka frowned at Angel as she "discreetly" snuck into the room – fifteen minutes late and knocking over a bookcase. "Dammit, Angel, if you're going to be late, do it a little quieter."

"I'm not late," Angel whined. "I've been here the whole time."

"Oh, really? Then what were we just talking about?"

"Stuff," Angel replied easily, searching out Murray and taking a seat next to her, asking how she could wear a turtleneck and dark blue jeans in the middle of summer.

Iruka groaned and cursed again under his breath. Louder, he spoke directly to the class. "Good morning, children. This day, you are all gennin shinobi. As the students of the past and the students of the future, you will be split into three-man teams, each monitored by a Jounin instructor. These teams will be balanced based on your personal, psychological, and academic skills. I will first call our team number, then the members of that team and you will then proceed out the door where your Jounin instructor will take you under their wing. Any questions?" Silence aside from Angel's light snoring. "Then we shall begin. Team One! Azaka, Erik. Unito, Wasani. And Shito, Aru."

As the three students stood and left, Murray rested her head on her desk. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Rock Lee cheered and whooped, nearly bolting out the door as his name was called to be part of Team 5. Slowly, Neji and Tenten followed, already dreading the time to be spent with the energetic boy. When the door closed behind them, Iruka sighed and turned to his desk, dropping the list of names. Murray looked around the room curiously, seeing no one left behind but her and Angel (still napping at her desk). She carefully untied her hitai-ate from her forehead, making sure not to tug on her ears, and chucked it across the room, hitting Iruka as he settled into his chair.

"Dammit, Murray! Wait, what are you two still doing here?"

"?……!"

Iruka watched the dog's facial expressions change rapidly (not that he could understand what she was saying – no one could except Angel and he was pretty sure that she was making it up half the time) and opened his mouth to say something. When he glared down at his roster, however, he groaned. "Gah. I never formally added you two to my class list."

"?"

"Technically you two aren't gennin. And you can't become gennin unless you sign up for school again."

Hearing her teacher's angered tone, and since she was usually the source of it, Angel snorted and woke up, mumbling, "Whuza'g'n on?"

Murray glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "…!……"

"Aw, man!" Angel whined. "Iruka-sensei, why! I would have expected this from me, but not from you!"

Iruka sighed. "Be patient, Angel, I'll be right back." And with that, he abandoned his chair and made his way out of the room.

"'Be right back' my ass," Angel grumbled, standing. "C'mon, Murray – we're not letting him escape."

"!" Murray agreed.

Quickly, the two girls took off, sensitive noses picking out Iruka's scent and following it down the halls until it came to a stop outside the…

"Ack – principal!" Angel yelped as Murray snatched her scarf and dragged her out of sight of the Gates to Hell, as they lovingly called it.

""Why did he have to go to that crazy old lady!" Angel hissed and Murray stuck out her tongue. Both girls had been sent to the principal's office more times than they could count. The principal, herself, was a decrepit old lady, falling deeply into senility but still competent enough to not get fired. Her worst punishment was forgetting how long a student had been in her office and, since she _always_ kept a student to their full punishment, they were often kept for hours unend.

"!…?"

"You're right – let's get out of here!"

Angel and Murray began to sneak away when Iruka suddenly appeared. "Damnit, you two. Can't you stay in one spot for one minute?"

"Why were you talking to It?" Angel grumped, checking to make sure the Gates to Hell were still closed.

"Well, according to 'It' as you call Mrs. Shigaru, you two are still officially gennin even if you weren't signed up for my class. So be thankful."

"But we still don't have an instructor," Angel pouted, refusing to thank the embodiment of pure evil.

"I was told to be a stand in until a Jounin becomes available." Angel cheered and Iruka glared. "But I still have my teaching duties."

"Aw, man. So basically we're going to be teacher's aids?"

"…"

"Don't worry. It shouldn't be more than a few days. Now come on, I need to sign you two up as an official team. You'll be team number – "

"Thirteen."

" – Six… What? Why thirteen?"

"Cause thirteen is cool!" Angel snatched up Iruka's arm and Murray took the other, the two girls forcing the teacher to dance with them. "C'mon 'Ruka-sensei!"

"!"

"Fine, fine!" Iruka yelped. The girls cheered and Iruka thought to himself, 'I'll just leave the team number blank along with the Instructor's name and third teammate.

Two girls crept across the moonlit ground as stealthily as the ninja-training allowed. Reaching the Academy, they made their way to the window on the southern wall, farthest to the left – Iruka-sensei's classroom.

"C'mon, Murray – I don't want some stupid Jounin trying to baby us."

"…!"

Angel grunted as she attempted to force open the window. She tugged and gnawed and cursed. "Dammit, this isn't going to open."

"…" Murray pushed Angel out of the way. She considered the window momentarily before reaching up and popping the glass panel out of place, unlocking the window before replacing it. With ease, she slid the window open and clambered inside, helping Angel once she stopped cursing.

"You suck, Murray," the weasel grumbled. "Let's just find the file."

The dog left Angel to her tantrum and made her way to the teacher's desk. She began opening drawers, flipping through papers, rummaging through scrolls. Angel herself, after calming down, bounced over to the filing cabinet. With both girls working, it wasn't long before the Gennin Team Form was unearthed and spread out over the desk.

"…?"

"Don't worry about that, Murray," Angel replied with a grin. "I've forged enough signatures to know 'Ruka-sensei's handwriting."

Pulling a pen from the dolphin-shaped pencil holder/cup, Angel considered the kanji, hiragana, and katakana scribbled across the parchment. Lightly taking her tongue between her teeth, she carefully filled in the blank lines, hunching over the desk and mumbling the words out loud.

"Jounin Instructor: Umino Iruka… Third Team Member? Ah, we'll fill that in later… and Team Number is… 13." Pulling back she grinned. "Very professional-looking. Now we just let 'Ruka-sensei turn this in and we won't have to deal with any stupid Jounin."

Murray grinned and both girls quickly fled, ready to begin their new team training.

* * *

I don't own Naruto, Murray or anything else aside from Angel. She's mine.


	4. The Third Member

Iruka walked into the classroom, five AM sun casting a golden light just over the horizon. His team of a month and a half was sitting on his desk, going through his other class' homework.

"Looks like my fiancée was too lazy to turn in his work again," Angel was saying as Iruka groaned. "He's going to make a horrible husband…"

"…" Murray put Naruto's paper back down, the F gleaming in bright red at the top of the page.

"I hate both of you," Iruka mumbled, as was his usual greeting.

"Morning, 'Ruka-sensei," Angel greeted, bouncing off the desk. "What'er we doing today? Something cool?"

"We're going to paint Mrs. Saidle's house." Angel pouted and Iruka smirked. "Actually, _you_ two will paint Mrs. Saidle's house – _I_ still have half a class to teach today."

"Goddammit," Angel whined and Murray threw a homework scroll at him. "Can't you skip class for once and teach us some cool new jutsu?"

"Not a chance." Iruka shooed the two girls out of his room. "Now hurry up and go – Mrs. Saidle is waiting for you."

"You're just punishing us for making you our permanent instructor," Angel grumbled and Murray agreed."

"I would never be that spiteful," Iruka replied innocently, shoving the girls out the door and closing it behind them quickly.

Angel groaned and turned to Murray. "Let's go. Man, this is gonna suck!"

The ancient lady was waiting for them on her porch, sitting in a creaking rocking chair and with a fat orange tabby in her lap. She squinted as they approached, being nearly blind.

"Ah, children. You're here," she crooned.

"Yes ma'am," Angel greeted politely as Murray bowed. "What did you want us to paint?"

Mrs. Saidle raised a quivering, wrinkly hand. "I want the entire house a pretty light green."

Murray walked over to the stacked of paint cans and inspected the labels. "…!…?"

"Uh, ma'am? Murray says that all your paint is pink," Angel mumbled, tail twitching.

"Oh dear. I guess pink is good too…"

Angel groaned and rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Murray, let's get this over with…"

"…"

* * *

Iruka let his class go, cursing under his breath as the children giggled and ran out the door. Naruto was becoming more and more of a pest the closer he came to graduation.

Said student hovered by Iruka's desk as the other children poured out the door. He looked at his teacher and grinned impishly. "Iruka-sensei…"

Iruka looked at Naruto and sighed. "Yes, I'll take you out for ramen tonight."

Naruto cheered and threw his arms around his teacher. "You're the best person in the whole world!"

Iruka felt a smile tug at his lips as he patted the top of Naruto's head. "I'll come get you later, all right? Now I need to go."

Naruto grinned and bounced out the door, eagerly waiting for later that night. Iruka smiled as he watched the child leave, but groaned when he remembered that he still had to go out and deal with his team. He gathered the papers that he needed to grade and headed out the door, not particularly eager to have to deal with his team again. He left the Academy, taking his time to stop and talk to people or greet students who were up to no good.

When he finally arrived at Mrs. Saidle's house, nearly an hour later, he paused. The house itself was coming along nicely, the faded eggshell yellow slowly becoming replaced with a deep pink, but that wasn't what gave him pause.

Angel was perched on the roof, paint can resting on a windowsill peeking out from the attic, painting the house near the top and looking dizzy from the fumes; Murray was painting around the door, carefully and expertly avoiding dripping paint everywhere.

And there, painting around on of the two front windows, was a young boy in a bright orange hoodie and pants. For a moment, Iruka had thought that the two girls had invited Naruto to help them, but he noticed that the coat bore none of Naruto's spiral patches and was a solid orange.

He walked up to the boy and tapped on the top of his head. The boy turned and Iruka saw that the boy's hood was drawn so tight, only his eyes could be seen.

"Who are you?" Iruka asked.

"Mrff, mmph, mf mm mph," the boy replied, voice muffled heavily by the jacket."

"His name is Kenny," Angel called from the roof. "We found him about two hours ago – can we keep him?"

Iruka sighed and looked at the girl, who nearly fell of the roof. "You can't just recruit random people off the streets, you know."

"But he's a gennin." Iruka finally noticed the metallic plate stitched into the fabric on Kenny's forehead. "And he doesn't have a team. And we still need a third member."

Iruka sighed. "Fine. I'll petition to the Hokage."

"Woohoo!" Angel cheered as Murray grinned. "Welcome to the team, Kenny!"

"Mrff mph."

The attic window was shoved open, knocking the paint can over, and Mrs. Saidle poked her head out. "What a wonderful day," she crooned, not noticing how the paint can tumbled down, striking Kenny in the head and killing him instantly.

"Oh my god!" Angel cried. "She killed Kenny!"

Murray shook her fist at the senile figure disappearing back into the house, opening her mouth to yell, "You bastard!"

Iruka groaned as rats suddenly materialized, attacking Kenny's bloody body with loud squeaks. This was going to be an interesting team…

END

* * *

Oh my godness... I... _finished_ something... _multi-chaptered!_-fears- The world will end soon...

Oh well, if the Apocolypse isn't here by the time I post this, I only own Angel. Everyone/thing else belongs to other perople. So, bye for now


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